Gemini - Book I
by Haryuu no Hanekata
Summary: The Prophecy is every 500 years. When two spirits of god-like stature want to continue a deadly sibrling rivalry, they possess two of the nine warriors.
1. In The Man Up to the Shoulders, Holding ...

  
  
Gemini  
Book I - Ashtangi  
Chapter I -   
  
In the Form of a Man up to the Shoulders, Holding a   
Conch, Discus and Sword  
  
Sai yawned heavily as his nostrils filled with the honey-sweet aroma of the   
pancakes he was making for breakfast. He smiled and curved the pancakes on the frying   
pan into the shape of a balloon. Yuli loved the balloon-shaped pancakes that would be   
waiting for him when he awoke.  
He smiled again as he saw the familiar form of Sage step into the kitchen and   
stretch. Sai saw his friend rub the last of sleep from his eyes and preceded to find the   
morning paper. Sage stepped outside in the morning mist and walked barefooted on the   
gray driveway to the paper. The dew drops clung to his golden hair, which seemed so   
because of the sunlight peeking over the clay roof tiles. It was going to be a lovely day.  
Kento, Ryo and Rowen appeared last, piling into the kitchen in a frantic rush before   
the pancakes could be cooked fully. Kento still had drool stretching to his chin. Rowen   
pointed this flaw out and Kento quickly wiped it off with his pajama sleeve.  
Mia walked her way into the kitchen from the study. She held some school books   
and papers, with Yuli trailing behind carrying the rest of the work load. The child grinned   
ear-to-ear when his large blue eyes came to rest upon that which made his stomach roar   
with anticipation.  
Those balloon-shaped pancakes.   
Yuli quickly deposited his load of books and papers and jumped to his seat beside   
Ryo. Sage came in and sat down with the morning newspaper. Sai announced that the   
pancakes were ready, and served them to everyone with strawberry syrup.  
Kento ate quickly and heartily, as everyone expected. Sage passed about the   
various sections of the paper, handing the 'Comics' section to their youngest companion.   
Rowen received the 'Arts and Recreation' section and glanced over its contents. His blue   
eyes skimmed through the words like a stone thrown a great distance across the surface   
of the water. They rested upon an article covering a new art show at the downtown art   
museum.  
"Hey, everyone," he mumbled around bits of pancake and sticky syrup, "since we   
don't have much to do today, let's go to the art show and ten!"  
Mia agreed rather quickly. "That sounds wonderful. What do the rest of you   
think?"  
Sai giggled. "Don't ask Kento to think while eating!" he said.  
His burly friend gave him an 'I'm-gonna-kill-you-for-that' look and continued to   
shovel the remains of his breakfast into his mouth. Ryo half-smiled and looked at Mia.  
"I don't know, art's not really my kind of thing..."  
Sage barely said a word to anyone about his opinion on the subject as his friends   
continued to banter back and forth. Ryo, after an intense lecture on the possibilities of   
expanding his horizons with this little trip to the art museum, decided for the rest of the   
group as well. They were headed for the art museum at ten o'clock sharp.  
Rowen and Sai cleared the table as Sage and Ryo rinsed and loaded the dishes into   
the dishwasher. Mia and Kento scrounged around for some money to pay the entrance fee.   
Yuli cleaned his room, but only to keep himself out of the guys' way.  
After about ten minutes, Yuli was called down to the living room. Rowen still held   
the article about ancient legends and the new exhibit that was showing for a week only. He   
held it high for everyone to see.  
"Listen, everyone. I know we've been to the art museum before, but there's a new   
exhibit on display about ancient gods and goddesses. It should be real fun!"  
"Just as long as there aren't any exhibits on ancient food or anything, 'cuz Kento   
might just eat the whole exhibit!" Ryo commented.  
Everyone laughed; except Kento, of course.  
Mia announced it was time to go and the group of six piled into the green mini-van   
parked in the driveway. Ryo pulled the car into gear and backed up into the street. Their   
journey began that day..."  
  
The group reached the door to the two-story tall grayish-green building after a   
lengthy drive in mid-morning traffic. It had begun to sprinkle, though the weather   
reporter on the radio said that there was no rain in the forecast. Ryo stepped up the long,   
tan, cement stairway leading to the front of the building. To his surprise, there was no   
doorman standing in the darkened reflection of the tinted entrance. He glanced at Mia   
with a sigh of relief.  
"Good, so the new exhibit is free?" he asked as Rowen approached him with the   
newspaper article. He reread over the article and found the indication of the entrance fee.   
He looked up at Ryo and shook his blue head.  
"No, the doorman must be inside."  
Sage climbed the stairs next, and Ryo looked up and began walking again. The   
sprinkle of the light rain was invigorating. The mist flew through the air like a tiny flock of   
geese, flying home for the summer. A breeze shifted the teen's hair slightly to the right.  
The rest of the group followed in sync with their friend, coming to a halt on the   
inside of the building. It was somewhat dark, but still well-lit enough to see your   
surroundings. The carpet was a dull almond color.  
Ryo noticed that there was still no doorman. He turned to Rowen again.  
"Are you sure you saw something about an entrance fee, Rowen?"  
Rowen walked up to him, Sage close behind, who was eyeing the walls nervously.  
Ryo's blue-haired companion looked over the news clipping a third time. He pointed   
out a small bit of information just below the picture of an old statue. "It says right here,   
'entrance fee $3.00'."   
Sage nodded and had begun to pace about the small room. He hated small rooms.  
"Well, I guess they changed their minds!" Kento said happily. "Now, let's find out   
where this new exhibit is."  
Sai and the rest of the group nodded in unison, and searched about the building for   
the new exhibit. Rowen had found in his article where the exhibit happened to be. They   
found it soon after, a swarm of people surrounding two large statues. Both were carved in   
exquisite detail, the one facing the Ronins was done in marvelous white marble, with bits   
of black weaving in and out of the entire piece. The second, with its back to the first   
statue, was done in black pearl, with white like lightning, darting this way and that over   
the fifteen foot statue.   
Rowen walked up to an empty spot in the crowd, reading the golden plate that   
stood in front of the red velvet rope surrounding the perimeter of the statues. He   
motioned for the others to come forth, so he could read to them what was on the plate of   
gold.  
"Shanti and Ashtangi." Rowen read aloud. "The ancient Gemini Twins. Black is   
Shanti, Twin of Lights. White is Ashtangi, Twin of Death."  
"Kinda creepy, if you ask me..." Kento swayed uneasily from foot to foot.  
Mia looked up at the statues. She noticed that there was an off-white tarp over   
the heads of the statues. She tapped Ryo on the shoulder, pointing to the tarp.  
"Why do you suppose they haven't unveiled the whole thing yet, Ryo?" she inquired.  
Ryo shrugged. "Beats me. I told you art wasn't my thing."  
Sai was about to make a comment when a professionally-clad man stepped out of   
the corner of the room. He held his head high, although he didn't look as though he   
commanded respect. He looked in his mid fifties, slightly hefty and balding. He stood   
beside Rowen and gazed up at the statues. The man turned to Rowen.  
"You wish to know more?" he asked plainly.  
Rowen threw a nervous glance upon Sage, who stared at the man, fear engulfing his   
normally emotionless violet eyes. He began to sweat noticeably on his forehead, and he   
stepped back to another end of the new exhibit to get away from this man.  
Rowen shook his head. "I...suppose. That would be helpful. For instance, why haven't   
they removed the tarp on the statue's heads yet?"  
The man looked the statues over and whispered quietly, "Soon...soon, I can feel it   
in my veins...the power..."  
Ryo cocked an eyebrow and studied the man further. He looked like he belonged in   
a college, teaching History or something. His brown suit, complimented with a beige   
necktie, blended well with the surrounding people. He walked up to this man.  
"Excuse me, sir, but, what's your name?" he asked politely.  
The man held out his hand. "My name is Arthur. I am a priest at the local church,   
just down the street. I have been fascinated by these statues ever since they   
arrived...but...oh, you wouldn't understand...I'm just some old geezer, anyway."   
Mia stepped over towards Sage, who stood by a collection of gold statuettes,   
encased in a glass box on a wooden stand mounted to the wall. She put a hand on his   
shoulder, curiosity mixing with concern.  
"What's wrong, Sage?"  
Sage shook nervously when his eyes rested upon Arthur. He didn't know what was   
so frightening about him, but his guts told him to steer clear of this man. His mouth went   
dry and he broke out into a cold sweat.  
"N-nothing...nothing at all...he just...gives me the creeps, that's all..."  
Sai greeted Arthur whole-heartedly. "Hello, Arthur. Pleased to meet you."  
Arthur smiled and shook the young British boy's hand vigorously. He smiled and   
gave a nod before strolling leisurely out of the crowd. Sage backed up and ran into a   
woman. He apologized profusely.   
The priest's eyes tugged him, his mind telling him that One was near. One was near   
him at this very moment. The trinket he held in his aging hands reverberated with the joy   
of being reunited with its One.   
Arthur turned to face a blond young man who looked pale and frightened in his   
presence. He knew it. All his years of studying had finally paid off. This young man looked   
strong and steady on the inside. This wasn't going to be an easy week.  
"Young man," the priest held out his hand in greeting, trying desperately not to be   
overwhelmed by this One's power. He had to be strong. This One could mean he beginning   
and end for him and he knew it.  
Sage stared at the outstretched hand and his eyes became unfocused. His head   
spun and his feet ached. He was hurled back to reality by some unknown force. He   
swallowed hard and shook the priest's hand, though he knew it was illogical to do so.  
"I don't believe you've seen this, no?" Arthur asked, holding up his coat to shield   
the trinket from the unwilling and willing eye both. He held in his hands a small, black pearl   
scythe, embedded with rubies of the finest blood red. Sage stared at it, and reached for   
it, trying to reclaim a piece of him he felt was missing, but never knew was gone until now.  
Arthur pulled it back into his pocket before it could be claimed and gestured   
towards the statues. He noticed Sage's eyes followed his hand and looked upon the statues   
with a frightening purpose. Arthur knew this was One of Them.  
"I will give this to you, for a price." Arthur bargained, gaining Sage's full attention.   
Arthur's studies proved to be very useful today, although he hadn't expected to find One   
this very day. He had to buy some time for the other One to come, if he wanted the   
Prophecy to work.  
Sage remained silent, but Arthur knew what he was asking. He smiled, nodded, and   
walked slowly to the statues where Rowen and the others stood bewildered. Sai and Kento   
stared and Ryo backed up so that Arthur and Sage could pass. Arthur smiled as he led this   
One to the statues. Yuli noticed that the other visitors to the museum were leaving, and at   
an alarming rate. Soon, they would be the only ones left. He stood between Mia and Ryo,   
who looked very concerned. All of a sudden, Arthur didn't look so friendly to Yuli.  
Sage followed obediently to the statues. His violet eyes became unfocused again,   
as if he was under some strange spell. His mind swirled as many questions flew rapidly   
through his mind. He knew in his heart and soul that he needed that scythe. But, why?  
Arthur turned to Rowen and asked him to climb beneath the red velvet rope. He   
wanted Rowen to remove the tarp on the white statue, but to leave it over the black one.   
When Rowen refused to do so, Arthur sighed and turned his head away.  
Mia walked over to them and stated, "It's against the law of the museum to do   
that. One of the employees would have to remove it."  
Arthur looked around. "Do you see any employees, miss? As you can see, we're alone.   
Don't worry, as a priest, I have studied quite a bit on these beautiful works of majesty.   
My studies have shown that it is quite safe to remove the section of the cloth from the   
head of the white statue. Go on, no one will notice."  
Rowen shook his head again. "No."  
"I'll do it."  
Everyone turned to the sound of the voice. It was Kento.  
He shrugged. "He says it's okay anyway, right?"  
Arthur nodded and Kento leaped over the red velvet rope. He began to climb the   
statues, careful not to damage them in any way. Then someone would notice. He reached   
for the tarp.  
"Kento, you dolt! You'll get in big trouble! Come down from there!" Sai called.  
His friend ignored Sai and pulled the tarp from the statue's head. Kento gasped   
and fell, hitting his rear on the statues' wooden base. Sai ducked beneath the rope and sat   
near his friend, checking him for any serious injuries.   
Ryo and the others looked up at the statue's now unveiled head. Its eyes were solid   
black onyx with a blood ruby in a brilliant ring as a pupil, and it didn't look at all human. Its   
head was hairless with three horns on the top; two near the ears and one protruding from   
the forehead. It had a pointed chin and nose, with gleaming white fangs. Its legs, done yet   
again in black onyx, weren't human, either. The onyx started at the waist, moving   
downward to the toes, making them pointed and clawed.   
In its mouth it held a conch, which wasn't all white like the statue itself. It was   
decoratively colored with pastel blues, greens, and pinks. Held in the statue's hands were a   
silver discus and a black pearl sword. It held the weapons in a strange fighter's stance,   
kneeling on its left foot with its hands raised above its head.  
"That thing's real creepy..." Kento stammered as Sai helped him beneath the red   
rope.  
"Yes, it wouldn't win any beauty contests, that's for sure. But, there is an   
interesting legend about Ashtangi. Would you care to listen?"  
Yuli seated himself on the faded almond carpet. "Sure! We don't have much else to   
do."  
Rowen sat down next. "All right. We'll listen."  
Arthur cleared his throat and began his story.  
"A long, long time ago, there was a joyous couple who lived in a far away land. They   
were husband and wife, and the wife was pregnant with twins. The husband was overcome   
with emotion..."  
  
"Oh, honey, they're beautiful...!" he said.  
She sighed and reached for one of her twins. "Let me see...oh, how darling!" she   
said as she patted the baby on the head. They were indeed beautiful.  
The village elder entered the tiny hut, eager to see the newborn pair. He reached   
for the one the husband was holding. He turned to him and smiled.  
"Do not fear. I will just check them to see if they fit the Prophecy."  
The husband and wife nodded and the elder began his work. He asked which of the   
two was first born. As it turned out, the one the elder was holding was first born. He   
carried the child out into the village square. There stood a monument to the Sun. The   
elder placed the child upon the alter. The Sun's rays shone through the thick gray cloud   
cover and danced on the baby's face. A symbol appeared on the baby's forehead. It was   
the symbol for Light.  
The elder nodded and carried the baby back inside where the husband and wife   
were cuddling the youngest of the two twins they were blessed with. The elder placed the   
first child in the husband's arms.  
"This one does fit the Prophecy. Now I need the second."  
The wife nodded and gave her second child to the elder. He carried the second   
child to the alter of the Sun, but this time, went behind the alter, to where a second   
monument stood. This was the alter to the Moon. He placed the child on the alter and   
waited. Sure enough, the Sun was again blanketed by the clouds.   
The Moon alter stood facing the village cemetery. The elder watched in disbelief   
as bony, skeletal hands shot up from beneath the earth in praise to this child. When he   
lifted the baby from the alter, the hands slid back into the graves.  
He quickly ran back into the hut to give this child to the lucky parents. The   
husband looked up at the elder. His wife had fallen asleep. It was the elder's duty to give   
all the children born in his village names. The elder placed the second child in the   
husband's arms, were he held the first as well.  
The elder cleared his throat and the wife awakened, eager to hear her children's   
names.  
"I hereby christen these twins...Shanti and Ashtangi, the Twins of Prophecy."  
The husband and wife were overjoyed. The elder smiled.  
Ten years later, Shanti and Ashtangi were fighting. They couldn't come to a   
decision on something, and the village elder came up to them in the grassy fields outside of   
the village.  
"What's the matter, children? Why aren't you in Balance?" he asked.  
"Why do we always have to be in Balance?" Shanti asked.  
"Yes, I would like to know." Ashtangi said.  
"Well, if you two aren't in Harmony with one another, the world won't be in   
Harmony. You must understand the importance of Balance and Harmony. And you must stop   
fighting."  
Five years after that, both twins became irate more and more often. One day, they   
got into a fist fight. The ground shook and the graves unearthed themselves. Unholy spirits   
walked the earth again and rays of light from the sky blinded the village citizens. The   
elder ran up to the twins and said,   
"You must stop fighting!"  
Shanti and Ashtangi were so angry at each other, they ignored the elder and they   
killed him. Shanti used a ray of light to form an ax that threw lightening bolts. He used   
the earth to make a rock solid whip, and used the thorns of the rose bush to make a spear.   
Ashtangi was jealous because his brother had three weapons and he had nothing.   
So, Ashtangi decided to make three weapons of his own. Ashtangi called upon the spirits of   
ancient pearl divers to give him black pearls, and he made a sword. He called upon spirits   
of miners to give him silver, and he made a discus. Finally, Ashtangi called upon the spirits   
of the sea to give him a conch, and to fill it full of the power to raise the dead. He now had   
three weapons.   
Shanti saw this and became angered. The Twins fought for days on end, until the   
village blacksmith informed the two that their fighting had killed their parents. Shanti and   
Ashtangi, who loved their parents, rushed to their hut. No one but the blacksmith was   
there.   
The blacksmith smiled discretely as the twins frantically searched the hut for   
their parents' bodies. Shanti looked up at the blacksmith. Shanti gasped as the blacksmith   
held up the bodies of their parents. In the twins' mother's body, there was a bony hand   
that shot through her chest and pierced her heart. In their father's body, there was a   
scythe, undoubtedly the Reaper's. Shanti knew his brother could call on the dead, and he   
had seen his brother call the Reaper. Ashtangi had killed their parents.  
Shanti became enraged and threw himself at Ashtangi. The twins fought until their   
bodies died. But, their spirits continued to fight. Shanti would kill his brother for killing   
their parents.   
  
Arthur continued to speak. "And the Twins' battle lives on in the chosen Twins of   
today."  
Ryo blinked and stood up, his feet tingling. "What do you mean, 'chosen twins of   
today'?"  
"It means that the spirits of these statues will possess two people in order to   
continue the battle."  
"How totally cool!" Kento said excitedly.  
"No, it's not totally cool. Next week, the chosen twins will search for each other.   
If they find each other, they will fight until one dies. They must not find one another.   
That's why I am here. I am searching for them to put an end to the fighting..." Arthur said.  
Rowen asked, "Are these twins biological?"  
"No. These Twins are not in any way related. They are just opposites. Like black   
and white." the priest answered.  
"What a cool story!" Yuli cheered with glee.  
"Yes, it's a good story, but what does this have to do with us?" Mia asked.  
Arthur smiled. "I just want you to keep an eye out for anything unusual, okay? Next   
week, remember. Be careful next week."  
As Ryo turned to leave, he inquired, "Any particular day? I'm only asking   
because..."  
He was cut off. "The ninth."  
Sai gasped. "Hey, but that won't ruin your birthday celebration, will it Sage?"  
The blond man smiled a bit and blushed.  
"But, we'll keep an eye out for anything."  
Arthur thanked them and the group of seven turned to leave the building. Ryo and   
Rowen talked at the front of the group while Sage brought up the rear. Arthur stood   
behind a stone pillar and flashed the scythe at Sage's back. Sage stopped and quickly   
turned around. He followed Arthur to the back of the building where there was an   
alternate exit. Sage walked with Arthur to the church down the street...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Rising Floor of the Dead

  
Book I  
Chapter II-  
The Rising Floor of the Dead  
  
  
Mia paced around the living room. They had just gotten home when the group   
realized one of their own was missing and unaccounted for. Yuli stayed in his room, looking   
out of his bedroom window. The clouds drifted by ever so slowly.   
Ryo concluded that Sage must've stayed behind. The others agreed to return to   
the museum right away. White Blaze would stay at the mansion with Yuli. Kento gassed up   
the van and all but Yuli and White Blaze got into it. They drove off as fast as possible.  
Yuli sighed and went downstairs. White Blaze growled and padded towards him,   
rubbing his furry face up against the boy's leg. Yuli giggled and pet the white tiger. The   
boy then entered the living room to see that everyone was gone. He found a note on the   
couch that read;  
  
'Yuli,  
  
Gone to the museum to find Sage. Be back later.  
  
Ryo, Sai, Kento, Rowen, Mia'  
  
Yuli shrugged. He liked being home alone. He went into the kitchen to fix himself a   
bowl of ice cream. French Vanilla? No. Chocolate Fudge? No. Ah! Rocky Road!  
The boy smiled mischievously and scooped out two large clumps. He put the ice   
cream carton away and seated himself on Ryo's chair. He dug into the ice cream with   
enthusiasm. He finished the bowl and put it in the dishwasher to be cleaned. Yuli sighed   
contentedly and sat next to White Blaze on the couch to watch some television.   
Just outside the house, the Reaper rose up from beneath the soil, its black cloak   
billowing behind it. Its silver scythe caked with dry blood, and what little part of it that   
could, shone brightly in the dimming sunlight. It flew through the air and down the street,   
to the church...  
"Coming...Master,..."  
  
Sai searched the room of the golden statuettes a third time. Sage wasn't here   
either. Kento wasn't having any luck, and neither was Rowen. Mia crept up and down the   
halls, while Ryo searched the front and back entrances. He seemed to just disappear.   
"He has to be here somewhere!" Sai called across a dark hall. Mia turned around at   
the sound of his voice. Sage was known to disappear at times, but nothing this dramatic.   
Rowen poked his head into the hall from the dinosaur exhibit. Ryo rounded a corner from   
the airplanes and old technology section, and Kento was near the vending machines.  
Kento belched loudly, hearing it echo throughout the empty building. "Talk about   
your echolocation! No one's here, not even the security guards!"  
"Isn't that kind of weird? I mean, even some security guards should be here." Sai   
said as he walked up to Ryo, who did a quick visual check of the room behind him. Nothing.   
No one.  
"Yeah, and why did everyone leave so fast? It wasn't even close to closing time!"  
Rowen walked up to the pair, Mia right behind him. They looked at a museum map   
and split up into a pair and a trio to check the rest of the museum. The met back at the   
front entrance hall. No one found anything.  
Rowen shook his head. "It all started when that Arthur guy showed up. I mean,   
when he showed up, Sage started acting real strange. Wasn't he at the back of the group   
when we were leaving? Maybe he went home already..."  
"I doubt it." Mia said. "I think that Arthur guy has something to do with it. Did you   
see when he held up something and shielded it with his coat? Whatever it was, Sage   
wanted it; I could tell. I think he went with Arthur to get whatever that was..."  
Sai spoke up, "Yes! And Arthur told us that he's a priest at the church down the   
street! We can walk down there to ask him if he's seen Sage!"  
Everyone else nodded and walked out the front entrance. The church was hard to   
miss; having black and white tiles in intricate patterns on the outside of the building.   
There was a giant gray cement arch in the front with black and white ribbons tied to the   
middle.  
"Jeez, these people sure do like old movies!" Kento stated plainly.  
"How's that, Kento?" Sai asked innocently.  
He pointed first to the church itself, then to the black and white ribbons that   
swayed in the cool summer wind. "See all the black and white? I feel like John Wayne."  
Sai giggled. Ryo turned around to shoo them forward. Mia took out her cellular   
phone from the purse she carried. She dialed in her phone number.  
  
The phone at the house rang loudly. Yuli was startled awake. He ran into the   
kitchen to retrieve that noisy thing.   
"Hello? Koji residence. To whom am I speaking?" Yuli inquired.  
"Wow, Yuli. You sound so grown up!" Mia said from the other end of the phone.  
"Mia! What's going on? Why aren't you guys back yet?"  
Mia paused. "Well Yuli, we're having trouble finding Sage. Is he home with you?"  
"No...I thought you found him."  
"No, not yet. We'll be home soon, Yuli. Don't worry."  
"Okay, Mia. Bye."  
"Bye, Yuli."  
  
Ryo looked up at Mia from his seat on a wooden bench outside the church. She   
reluctantly put away her gray cellular phone and walked to the church doors.   
"No luck? He isn't at home?"  
Mia shook her head.  
Rowen and the rest of the group trotted through the thick, glossed wooden doors   
of the church. They stepped immediately into a very large room with a dome for a ceiling.   
It was dim in here, and Ryo could make out rows and rows of wooden pews lined with two   
to a row, with ten rows on either side. In the front stood an old podium, and behind that   
stood an enormous altar, with statues of white with black interlaced.   
Sai gasped in astonishment. "Wow...lookit all of these. They look just like the same   
stuff the statues at the museum were made of...and remember the story Arthur told us?   
See that? It's a giant altar to the moon! Look!"  
Indeed, Sai was right on this one. Standing in a throne of white and black marble   
alike sat a giant pearl moon, a face carved into it. Although wore by age and erosion, the   
face still looked a bit intimidating. It reminded Mia of the face on the Ashtangi statue at   
the art museum.  
There, amidst the shadows thrown by the flickering white candles, sat Arthur,   
reading an old book of some kind. He was dressed in his priest outfit, although it wasn't   
Sunday. It was Saturday.  
Must be prepping, thought Sai.  
"Hey, Arthur!" Kento called stupidly.  
Arthur was startled and looked up, his huge Coke-bottle glasses enlarging his   
already large eyes tenfold. He quickly put away the book, placing it carefully down on the   
desk on which he sat. The placement of the book brought up years of dust. It looked as   
though he hadn't used the desk in decades.   
"What can I do for you?" he asked calmly.   
"Well," Mia started, "do you remember our blond friend, Arthur? You know, the one   
you showed something to that made him act all funny and stuff? Remember him, Arthur?   
Well, he's missing, and I suspect you have something to do with it! So spill!!"  
Arthur frowned. "No, I can't say that I have. This is a church, you know, and the   
Lord Almighty does not permit me to lie while in his House."  
Sai felt his kanji of Trust glow softly on his forehead. He gasped quietly and   
turned around. Kento turned with him, seeing his friend's kanji. Whenever the kanji off   
Trust glows when someone is speaking, that means that someone is lying. Kento knew he   
smelled a rat. A big rat named Arthur.  
Ryo pressed on, not wanting to mention Sai's kanji. "Well, we just have a feeling   
that, even though we are all in the House of God, you may be lying to us anyway. So,   
where's our friend, Arthur?"  
"I'm sorry. I do not know. Now, please; I must be getting back to my studies."  
Rowen was unconvinced. He began to dart around the room, looking beneath pews   
and searching around pillars and in other rooms of the church. Mia followed, and, soon   
after, the rest of the group was poking around, trying desperately to find their missing   
friend.  
Sai and Kento were a pair and checked the confession rooms. Ryo and Mia checked   
up and down the halls, dodging nuns along the way. Rowen was all alone, but didn't mind. He   
ducked around the corner and into a dark hallway.  
"Please, you must leave! I don't want you children poking around here!" Arthur   
called.  
Rowen stepped cautiously through the shadows, a chill running up his spine. He   
looked down at the floor and then up to see a skull with eyes staring back at him. Rowen   
tried to gasp, but no sound came out. A skeletal hand shot out and grabbed Rowen, its eyes   
a burning red. Rowen felt faint and collapsed.  
Sai and Kento heard the thud of a body against the cold tile floor. They bounded   
down the shadowy halls of the church. Turning sharp corners with precision accuracy, Sai   
was the first on the scene. Kento arrived a late second.  
Rowen's pale form lay undisturbed on the cold tile floor. Sai crouched next to his   
friend and held him up. Kento raced back to the main hallway to alert Mia and Ryo.  
Ryo came rounding a tight corner with Mia at his heels. Rowen moaned softly and   
lurched forward in Sai's arms. He blinked to regain his vision. Kento and the other pair   
knelt beside Rowen, checking him for injuries. Sai helped him up.  
Kento dusted his friend off.  
"W-W-Where'd it go?!" Rowen asked frantically.  
Mia held his shoulders. "Where'd what go?"  
Rowen shook his head and breathed heavily. "I saw something. A big something."  
Ryo tugged at Rowen's arm. He motioned for the group to leave. Rowen sighed   
audibly and walked with them and out to the main altar room. Ryo passed by the desk   
where Arthur was supposed to be sitting. He wasn't there.  
Sai stopped. "Where's Arthur? I wanted to apologize,"  
Arthur heard their voices from underneath the altar room. Though the ceiling   
blocked most of the conversation, Arthur could vaguely tell who was talking and what they   
were talking about. He smiled and rubbed his aging hands together. He turned his head to   
see the young blond man whimper, tears welling up in his crystal eyes.  
Gagged and tied to a wooden post which supported the altar room floor, half-stood   
Sage. This room was unbearably small.  
What do you want with me? What purpose do I serve?  
Arthur strode across the earthen floor and held up the frightened young man's chin   
so that they faced eye-to-eye. He reverberated with fear. Arthur smiled evilly. A wave of   
tremors swept through Sage, and he closed his eyes, hoping that this was only a dream and   
that he would awaken soon.   
The smell of the room was horrendous. It smelled as though dead bodies, fresh   
meat still clinging to the lifeless carcasses, held up the dirt floor. This room smelled of   
death. It was dark and damp, with stucco walls a shade of depressing gray. Four wooden   
polls held up the ceiling.   
"Do you think he's closing down the church for the night?" Sai asked.  
Ryo nodded. "Maybe he is. Let's get going. I don't think Sage is here."  
Rowen sighed and led the group outside, where night had quickly fallen. Mia called   
Yuli again, saying the group would be home soon. The breeze in the willows blew a saddened   
tune, the birds of the night had hushed. It seemed as though the world fell silent, and the   
only sound the ear could pick up was that of the wind through the trees.  
Kento shivered. It was chilly tonight, and he felt a light mist of rain on his cheek.   
He accompanied Sai to the van, securing his seat-belt and preparing for the journey home.   
The conversation in the van was of only one topic:  
Where was Sage?  
Rowen came up with no logical explanations, which worried Mia further. They   
wouldn't be able to file a missing persons report until the next morning. It was four days   
until Sage's birthday.  
  
The van pulled into the driveway at around ten, and Yuli was found fast asleep on   
the dry old couch, next to White Blaze. Mia picked him up and carried him to his bed. She   
shut off the lights in the mansion. Ryo and the others put on their pajamas and crept into   
bed themselves.  
  
Hurry up, you old fool.  
Arthur stood before the altar in his church. The shadows danced and the light had   
faded to a dull glow. He raised his hands in praise to the altar of the Moon. Sage lay atop a   
table just in front of the altar. He was unconscious.   
Three men of considerable size stood behind Arthur. The placement of Sage could   
have only been achieved through them.  
I have four days.   
Arthur held up his old dusty book of leather. He raised his right hand and had   
begun to chant. Inconceivable words fell off his tongue, a language bound by rule swirled   
the room. The three men were awe-struck.   
The Moon began to glow.  
Four days...  
  
'My Son, my God, my humble Servant,  
Rise to praise me  
In your Dance, may you seek destruction  
Of the World to which you are bound  
Your Soul, your Life, your Servants  
Are now my own.  
May the souls of those Lost   
In the land of Pain and Grief,  
Terror, Loss, and Anguish,  
Rise to Praise You.'  
  
Arthur's words would terrify even the wised of Popes. The ancient poem caused the   
moon to glow brighter. They had four days left before the Coming.   
The Other had to be stopped.  
  
Rowen lay awake in bed. It was Saturday night and his best friend had not shown   
up yet. Rowen looked over at the bed which his friend should have been occupying. He   
sighed and turned out the lights. He should have been home...  
  
The Reaper flew like the dry leaves over the black tar pavement. The street lights   
hovered above with a dull yellow glow. The night was almost as dark as pitch; few stars   
hung in the sky. There were no birds chirping; no crickets and grasshoppers playing the   
music of the darkness. It flew with such urgency, yet careful enough not to be seen by any   
passerby.  
Its soft black cloak billowed behind no body, though it still clung to the head on   
which invisible legs operated out of sight. It held its scythe in its nothingness.   
Zooming past the museum, it suddenly stopped in the middle of the street. It   
sniffed the air, though one would think a body-less, organ-less creature of death could   
breathe. It sensed its Master's presence, and its Master was in trouble.   
The Reaper didn't sense the car coming up behind it, though. The driver of a small   
SUV didn't have time to stop. The headlights blared and the engine screamed as the two-  
ton metal machine collided with forever-old bones and silk.   
  
Sage's once lifeless body contorted in spasms of pain on the table in front of the   
altar. Arthur halted his cryptic poem of destruction long enough to order the three men to   
check the boy.  
Sage shrieked in both rage and pain as the men tried to hold him down on the cold   
stone table. His violet eyes remained closed. Arthur lifted an unshaven eyebrow. Why was   
this happening to him?   
While the young man lay twisting on the table, held by hands of three others,   
Arthur moved to a table near his desk. The small night-stand contained an old burlap book.   
He flipped through the age-old pages. A connection was imminent.   
  
Rowen and Yuli both awoke to hear a bone-rattling shriek of pain just outside their   
windows. Rowen could have sworn he had heard an unsettling crunch of metal and   
something organic. He shivered and stepped outside his room.   
With his robe, he shifted softly out of his room and out into the hall. He crept   
down the stairs, careful not to awaken anyone, and puzzled by the fact that no one   
followed up behind him.   
From the loft, where the child's bedroom was, Yuli peered down the shadowy   
entryway to see Rowen, clad in his dark blue robe, open the oak front door and step   
outside. Yuli, determined, frightened, and curious, all at the same time, quietly bounded   
down the stairs. White Blaze heard the soft thumping of the child's feet and padded   
outside with the him.  
Rowen, sure that he could get a clear view of the street that was bathed in   
darkness, stood in the middle of the driveway. Next to the van stood Yuli. Yuli leaned his   
head against the van, careful not to alert Rowen. He didn't want to be caught out this late.  
Rowen quickly examined the street. He could have sworn he heard some sort of cry   
or yelp. But, where did it come from?  
Something told him to move further down the street. Swiftly, he ran down the   
street; to a small intersection. There, he saw dust. Lots of dust. And a cloak.  
White Blaze nudged Rowen's thigh. Rowen turned around, startled. He saw White   
Blaze, then Yuli, half asleep.   
"Yuli? Why are you out here at such an hour?" Rowen whispered hoarsely.  
Yuli mumbled a bit, but was fully asleep by this time. White Blaze purred softly and   
looked up at Rowen, and then at the pile of dust on the street. The dust looked like bones   
turned to ash. Rowen stepped closer to the dust that was being carried away by the wind.   
He wanted to take some of it back to the house, but the wind rushed at him suddenly, and   
carried all his hopes, along with the dust, with it.  
"So much for that idea." he said sorrowfully.  
Rowen turned to White Blaze, who had Yuli sleeping on his back. He led them back   
to the house where he thought he may be able to get them to sleep. When both the tiger   
and the boy were inside, Rowen turned back to the street. The cloak he had seen there   
was gone.  
  
"Good morning!" Sai stretched cheerfully. Everyone except Rowen was in the   
kitchen awaiting breakfast. The bearer of the Torrent armor smiled as he looked over the   
faces of his friends, counting them. He realized Rowen wasn't up yet, and he wondered   
why.  
"Hey Kento?" Sai asked behind his back.  
Kento mumbled a reply.  
"Could you go and see what's keeping Rowen? And please, love, don't drag him down   
the stairs like you did last time."  
Kento grunted in acknowledgment, and trudged up the stairs. He rounded a few   
corners, sniffing the air for Sai's omelets. He smiled, picturing himself eating at least   
three of those. When his lovely daydreaming ended, he was a few inches from the wall.  
'Oops. Gotta stop doin' that.'   
He turned to the bedroom which Sage and Rowen shared. He noticed the door was   
cracked a bit, and that he could just barely see inside. He heard the soft clicking of   
plastic keys on Rowen's computer. He wondered how long Rowen was up doing this.  
Kento opened the door quietly. He crept inside. He hesitated a moment before   
standing up straight. Kento was right behind Rowen, peering into the white depths of the   
computer screen. Upon it lay the text of a web site. Within the swirl of letters and   
numbers, Kento could find two words he recognized.  
No, they were not food and hunger.  
They were Shanti and Ashtangi.  
"Hey Rowen?" Kento asked in full voice.  
Rowen jumped frantically and turned around in his chair, making Kento jump. Kento   
gasped and smiled weakly at his blue-haired companion.   
"Whatcha doin'?"  
Rowen sighed and turned around again to face the computer screen. "What do you   
want?" he asked in a rather cranky tone-of-voice.  
"Jeez! Chill, man. Sai's made breakfast, and he wants you to come downstairs to eat   
it. And, as an added bonus, I wanted to know how long you've been up."  
Rowen sighed again, agitated, and ignored him. He continued typing. Rowen knew   
Arthur had something to do with Sage's disappearance. He had to find a way to free him.  
  
"Hold him down! Quickly!"  
Arthur rushed to the three men's sides. Sage was thrashing about more violently   
than ever. He roared inhumanly, too. Something told Arthur to hold back and release this   
poor boy which Fate has chosen. But, his strive for power kept him going. He would not   
release the boy until the time was right and the Prophecy was fulfilled.  
The three men nodded in unison. Sage hissed and moaned as his violent outbursts   
were being suppressed. His eyes still remained closed.  
"Grab some chains or something. Tie him down!"  
The three men's eyes glowed red as chains suddenly appeared in their hands. They   
used these to tie Sage to the table. They succeeded, but the thrashing of the boy   
continued without relent.   
Arthur mumbled a few words, unbeknownst to the three men, who were standing in   
order of descending height by a rusted staircase. Arthur punched his hand into Sage's   
stomach, making the young man twist and roar angrily. He shouted a chant at the moon   
behind him.   
'Insert thy spirit into this boy, O leader of the Dead!!''  
The moon had begun to glow as Sage's twisting had ceased just as suddenly as it   
had started. A faint yet recognizable black mist hung in the air, making its way over to the   
boy in chains on the table. It entered his mouth without trouble.  
"There. Half of the Prophecy is completed."  
"Yes, it is now, isn't it?"  
Arthur looked up from his reading. He noticed that Sage had torn his bindings. But   
those were chains, not rope. Sage was now towering above him, standing atop the cold   
stone table to which he was bound.  
Arthur stumbled backward, trapping himself in a corner of the room. He crouched   
next to a bookcase and a desk. The candles suddenly flickered and died; darkness welled in   
the room like a sickness. Arthur could hear the heavy noise of breathing from the three   
men standing next to the staircase.  
Wait. Spirits don't breathe.  
Humans do.  
Arthur gasped as Sage's pale face was suddenly mere millimeters from his own.   
Arthur closed his eyes. Why had he gotten into this in the first place? He shivered as he   
felt Sage's cold, clammy hands touch his face. The feeling of dread thickened in the pit of   
his stomach as he felt Sage's breath now against his face. It was warm and putrid, and he   
felt Sage kneel in front of him.   
Arthur also felt that he should just die that very second for reviving such a   
monster in the first place. But, as he had found out, Fate had her way with things. He   
could not weasel his way out of this one.  
Arthur opened his eyes again, seeing death, feeling death, breathing death and   
fearing it for the first time in his life. Sage's violet eyes were no more. His use for sight   
had ended long ago. His use for vision, however, had just begun.  
Sage sniffed Arthur, and felt him pull away, disgusted and terrified, until his back   
was pressed up against a wet, cold, impenetrable wall that sealed his doom. Sage opened   
the lifeless sockets that contained his once-useful eyes to show his prey what he had done   
to the boy's body. The eyes of Sage, of this thing, were black. Completely and utterly   
black. The sight of them made him wonder if they weren't borne from the darkness that   
surrounded and engulfed him.   
The iris, the color of his eyes, was just a blood-red ring around nothing but   
blackness. They, other than Sage's white face, were the only things he could see in this   
cocoon of death. He wanted to die, he really did.  
But he knew he couldn't.  
And there were still three days left.  
  



	3. Tiny Black Creatures with the Blood-Red ...

Book I-  
Chapter III-  
  
The Tiny Black Creatures with the Blood-Red Eyes  
  
Kento trudged down the stairwell of Mia's mansion. Rowen was in a very bad mood.  
He hated it when people were in back moods. He figured it wasted to much "Life-  
energy" as Sage put it. Kento knew he had to cheer Rowen up. He had to, somehow. Then he   
thought of Sage.  
Rowen's best friend. His comrade. His companion. His brother. His equal.  
'Whoa, dude. That's deep.'  
Kento rounded the last corner to the kitchen. Sai stood in the doorway, frying pan   
in hand, demanding what took him so long.  
"Well, ya see, umm, Rowen's in a bad mood and everything so he won't be having   
breakfast with us." Kento blurted out in one breath.  
Ryo looked up from the morning paper. "Why is he in a bad mood?"  
Sai whirled around, his robe whirling with him. "It's because he misses Sage, that's   
why, you dolt! If I were missing, or if Kento or Rowen or even Yuli were missing and you   
had no idea where to start looking for them, wouldn't you miss them, too?!"  
Everyone was silent. For the first time in god knows how long, Sai just blew up. Ryo   
stared and Kento backed up.  
Sai huffed and calmed himself. He sat down at the kitchen table with his arms   
around his face as he rested his head on it. "I'm sorry, love, I'm just worried too."  
"Yeah, we noticed." Kento stated so matter-of-factly. "Now, about breakfast..."  
  
It swam in the rivers of decay. The street lights twisted backwards at its   
presence. All new in the world had reason to be frightened.   
The Reaper was angry.  
  
Yuli stared out his open bedroom window, listening to the rhythmic tapping of   
Rowen's fingers on the keyboard. Yuli sighed and sat up, casting a long and heavy gaze   
across his room. There was nothing to do. The guys were depressed and angry, and it was   
all Sage's fault. He ruined all the fun.  
The child walked across the clean carpet of his room only momentarily, deciding   
now was not the best of times to bother Rowen. He heard Kento say that Rowen was not in   
a good mood.  
Yuli shook his head and returned to the window. He stared out and almost missed   
the blond passerby. It was Sage.   
He nearly toppled over in delight. He rushed into Rowen's bedroom to tell him the   
good news. He jumped up and down to grab Rowen's attention.  
"Rowen! Rowen! I saw Sage! He's coming home!!"  
Rowen's gaze shot from the computer to Yuli like lightning.   
"Are you serious?" he demanded.  
Yuli grabbed Rowen's hand and forcibly dragged him to the front door, where   
everyone in the living room heard the faint jingling of keys. They heard the lock turn. They   
saw the front door open.  
And there stood Sage.  
Rowen nearly gushed at his best friend's reappearance. He rushed over to him as   
fast as his legs could carry him. Rowen hugged Sage as if to test the fact that he was real.  
He was real, as he soon found out. Rowen noticed in time that his hug made Sage wince   
from some sort of pain. He released Sage.  
"Where in the world have you been?" everyone in the living room demanded.  
Sage blinked. "Out." he breathed, and turned to walk up the staircase.   
And he disappeared again.  
  
The trees calmed themselves as Death flew on by, passing them up. It wasn't their   
time yet. The breeze through the leaves made a sort of whistling sound; but the trees   
knew they didn't whistle.  
They sighed.  
  
A tiny head peeked around a corner, winced, and pulled itself back into the gloom   
of the forest surrounding the Koji residence. The sun was still up, and there was no time to   
lose. Only three days left before the coming. They had to wait until nightfall.  
They could see their Master in the window of the dwelling. It was on the second-  
story of it, and they knew no heights, no matter how tall, could keep them from their   
Master.   
  
The Sun felt like it shouldn't be going so soon, but the Moon had insisted that it   
was time to rest. The Sun agreed, pulling itself down under the mountains, helping the   
Moon rise to greet the world the Sun kept so warm and bright.  
Silver rays spread across the land, and glittering stars shined fully in the sky,   
showing off their radiance. The creatures of the day slipped quietly into sleep, while the   
sleeping creatures that roamed the night were just about to awaken.  
This is the time of transition.   
  
Sai sat puzzled in the kitchen, along with everyone else, except Yuli.   
"Why did he evade a question like that?" Kento asked.  
Everyone was situated around the kitchen table, discussing Sage's strange   
behavior. Rowen knew his best friend quite well, and he knew him enough to say that Sage   
never evaded such a question.  
"I don't know," Rowen sighed. He wasn't sure that was the best answer.  
"Why don't we ask him?"   
Rowen looked up at Kento. He was right. Why not outright ask him why he was   
acting so strangely. First, he disappears without a trace, then he shows up miraculously at   
their front door. What was going on?  
"I'll go."   
Everyone turned to Sai.  
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." he insisted.  
The rest of the group nodded, in unison, and Sai prepared to creep up the stairs.  
  
Yuli sat on his bed, wondering vaguely why Sage had ruined all his fun. Now   
everyone was downstairs, and they weren't watching the television or playing video games   
like they used to. They were discussing something.  
But he could care less of what that was.  
The way he figured it, if no one was having fun, then the whole house got boring.   
White Blaze was sleeping soundly by his feet, but even he was too tired, or just too lazy,   
to have any fun with him.  
Yuli huffed and crossed his arms.  
"You're bored, I see." A voice seeped from the doorway to his room.  
Yuli gasped and whirled around, seeing Sage loom in from the hallway. Yuli smiled   
and calmed his heart rate. Maybe Sage wasn't so bad after all.  
"Would you like something to do?" Sage asked.  
Yuli's smile widened into a full-fledged grin. He nodded profusely, and followed   
Sage out of his room and down the darkened hallway. As Sage spoke to him, Yuli thought   
his voice was a bit...strange. But his interest in fun was more important than Sage's   
peculiar voice.  
He should have known better.  
  
Sai crept around corners. He knew something was wrong here; something was very   
wrong here. He should have been able to hear Sage's mind as he walked through the door.   
But, all he heard was thousands upon thousands of voices. None of which he recognized.   
That in itself was weird.  
He heard a soft moan of neither pain nor sleep. It sounded like nothing he had ever   
heard before. It sounded...  
Empty.  
Sai's heart raced as he dashed around the corner of hallways and up staircases.   
The moan he heard was not emitted again, to his dismay. He search all of the third floor,   
but turned up nothing. He decided it was all in his mind, and preceded down the last flight   
of stairs. But, he heard it again.  
Sai turned with a start. He wanted accompaniment. He raced into the kitchen, face   
pale, body cold and clammy.   
"Sai!! What happened?" Ryo was at his side in an instant.  
"S-S-Something's up there..." Sai stammered.   
Kento held his best friend's shoulders in an effort to calm him. It had no effect.   
Sai still shook violently. Sai pointed upstairs.  
"I need...your help...please..."  
Ryo nodded to Kento and Rowen. "C'mon, guys. Let's go."  
  
Yuli's gaze was transfixed on the bedpost. Just the bedpost. Nothing else seemed   
of interest to his eyes. His nerves, however, were a completely different story.  
Yuli seemed almost lifeless as his head rested upon Sage's shoulder. His breathing   
was slow, very slow. His eyes were mere glass balls rendered useless by forces unknown.   
They were in Sage's room, not secluded from view. In plain sight, at around eleven o'clock   
at night. The grandfather clock struck twelve midnight.  
So much for time-telling.  
The Master held his little soul still, listening to the heavy breathing being emitted   
by the boy in his arms. He sat in a corner, facing the open door, and peering into the   
blackened hallway.  
Yuli blinked slowly, he breathed slowly. Everything about him was slow. This is the   
way Death worked. Of course, wasting such energy on a worthless life such as this? Never!  
He would only be a mannequin. A perfect little porcelain doll. A puppet.  
He liked this idea.  
  
Kento led the group around the corner until he reached the first flight of stairs   
leading to the bedrooms. The hallway was so dark at this point. Not so pitch that one   
couldn't see, just the kind of darkness that made one fell sick to their stomachs. A heavy,   
sinking kind of darkness.   
Misery? No, not quite. Maybe dreariness? Or gloom?  
That felt good. So positive.  
Kento shivered. He had never seen the hallway like this. It was always well lit and   
spacious. He felt like a rat in a maze. One where inside it, his senses didn't function   
properly. He felt trapped. And scared.  
Now the hallway held its gloom, or misery, or whatever, in its hands like a heavy   
liquid. It seeped from the ceiling and crawled up the walls, and any breath that was given   
was quickly snatched up and stored for later use. No one dare live in such a gloom.   
Such pity and misery hung in this one hallway. Why just this one hallway? Did   
whatever it was that made the moans come from up there?  
The darkness seemed to come from one place. Kento knew they had to find it.  
Or get lost trying.  
Ryo moved into the lead position as the trio ascended the stairs. It felt so cold up   
here. He could even see his breath in front of his face. Ryo was glad Sai stayed downstairs   
with Mia so he could calm down a bit. He didn't want to be up here himself.  
They rounded yet another corner. Ryo was sure it didn't take them this long to get   
to their bedrooms. Something was making this journey take forever, and Ryo was   
determined to find and stop whatever it was.  
He felt so slow, thick, and heavy.   
Then, they heard something.  
Not a moan, groan or sob. Not a sigh or a gasp. Just...something. That something   
made Rowen sick. He didn't like how it sounded.   
It sounded...like the wind through a hollow, dead tree, or the sound an old man   
makes in his lungs before dying. It sounded...  
Empty.  
There. That emptiness again. Too painful to be bared, too horrifying to listen to.   
Rowen pulled into the lead as the trio rounded the last corner. He thought he might as well   
combat this darkness, this evil. But he had to know where it was coming from.  
Rowen stared in disbelief. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, causing Ryo and   
Kento behind him to stop. Rowen had found the origin of the gloom.  
Why? Why from his room? Why from...Sage's room?  
They both shared the room, so it made no difference as to who's name was   
attributed to it. All Rowen knew was that whatever was causing the gloom was from that   
room. How could he tell?  
Well, from the occasional sickly feeling, to that awful feeling in the pit of your   
stomach that tells you something's wrong, there were many ways to tell. Not to mention   
that the darkness ended halfway up the hallway. No darkness lurked after their bedroom.   
No gloom, no misery. Just night.  
Rowen swallowed hard.  
He and Ryo looked at each other before nodding. They were, in the words of GI   
Joe, "goin' in". Kento brought up the rear as the two in front of him carefully pushed their   
forms through the threshold.  
There, they gasped. All three of them.  
They saw nothing but the open window, with its pale green curtain softly floating in   
the night air, enjoying its new-found freedom.  
  
Yuli's hair was swept from his face as the air flew past him. He didn't care, though.   
Even thinking felt like hard work. He decided to sleep.  
"Go on. You may sleep, little one. Your job has yet to be performed."  
"Yes...Master..." said the boy, drifting to sleep as Sage and a companion raced down   
the street. The figures stopped in front of the church. They had business to attend to.  
  
"Nothing's up there..." Rowen finally said after recovering from their trauma at the   
threshold of the bedroom. Sai shivered, but helped to calm Rowen and Kento by fixing   
some soup for them. They took three hours.  
"Are you sure?" Mia asked as she seated herself next to Kento, who was on the   
couch with his soup bowl in hand. The wind softly caressed the windows of the house as   
they spoke, giving off an eerie sound.  
Kento looked up from his soup suddenly. He put the bowl down onto the coffee-  
table and sat up very straight.  
"Guys," his voice was shaky, "Yuli wasn't up there like he should've been..."  
  
Arthur drew his legs close to his chest. The candles he arranged in holy circles   
sent shadows flying across the walls in a dance that impressed him. There were crosses   
everywhere he looked. The Virgin Mary hung from a wall, her eyes dry as stone.  
Arthur smiled to himself. How that demon got out, he didn't know, but it wasn't   
coming in here. Or so he thought.  
He sat atop an Oriental-style red rug, smiling at the Bible he held in his lap. Just in   
case it came back. He was ready for it.  
He cast one last glance at Mary.   
"Oh, Mary. Don't cry. 'Tis only me..."  
Arthur unleashed a bone-rattling wail as the Virgin Mary that hung on the wall   
wept blood.  
  



End file.
